Posted: Sun, Sep 10, 2006, 12:48 PM ET (1648 GMT)
A Chinese rocket launched Saturday a satellite carrying hundreds of kilograms of seeds that officials hope will be improved by exposure to radiation in space. A Long March 2C rocket launched the Shijian 8 satellite from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on Saturday, placing the spacecraft into low Earth orbit. Chinese reports said that the spacecraft is carrying 215 kilograms of plant seeds and fungus that will be returned to Earth later this month. Chinese officials said that believe that by exposing the seeds to the space environment, the seeds will sprout plants with improved yields and quality. China has regularly launched recoverable satellites carrying a small amount of seeds, but this is the biggest amount carried into space since 1987. The launch is the second this year for China.

Related Links:

•  Xinhua article
•  Earthtimes.org article
•  AFP article